Multi-sensory alarm for a wearable cardiac defibrillator
Inventors
Breske, Pamela F. • Engman, Zoie R. • Edworthy, Judy Reed • Hall, Amanda K.
Assignees
West Affum Holdings DAC • Stryker Corp • Kestra Medical Technologies Inc
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Publication Number
US-12090332-B2
Publication Date
2024-09-17
Expiration Date
Abstract
In one embodiment, a wearable cardioverter defibrillator (WCD) is described. The WCD includes a support structure that may be worn by a patient. A processor is coupled to the support structure. The wearable cardioverter defibrillator also includes a discharge circuit configured to discharge a stored electrical charge through a body of the patient, the discharge circuit in communication with the processor. The processor may be configured to detect an event occurring at the WCD and determine a severity of the event occurring at the WCD. The processor may activate a multi-sensory alarm based at least in part on the determined event severity.
Core Innovation
A wearable cardioverter defibrillator (WCD) includes a support structure configured to be worn by a patient and a processor configured to detect an event occurring at the WCD. The processor determines an urgency of the detected event and generates a multi-sensory alarm based at least in part on the detected event. The multi-sensory alarm includes at least a specific lighting pattern and is output by at least one communication device and, as a second part, by an alert button.
The WCD outputs the multi-sensory alarm in response at least in part to the detected event and modifies the multi-sensory alarm based on the urgency of the detected event. Modifying the multi-sensory alarm includes at least modifying a brightness of the specific lighting pattern. The processor causes the multi-sensory alarm to be output by the communication device and by the alert button, including output in a harmonic manner in at least some implementations.
In addition, the WCD includes an alert button configured to detect patient input, and the multi-sensory alarm can be modified based on the patient input. The disclosure further includes options for ambient noise responsive control, in which a microphone detects ambient noise and modifies an audible alarm volume based at least in part on the detected ambient noise. Alarm characteristics can be modified in response to urgency, including intensity, tempo, volume, and/or length.
The WCD system further includes electrodes and a discharge circuit coupled to one or more electrodes, configured to store an electrical charge and discharge the stored electrical charge through the one or more electrodes in response to one or more shock criteria being met. The device simultaneously detects the event occurring at the WCD and generates the multi-sensory alarm based at least in part on the detected event. In some implementations, when the detected event is determined to have no urgency, the processor stops the first part and the second part of the multi-sensory alarm for a predetermined time, with the timing based on event severity.
Claims Coverage
The independent claims include three independent inventive scopes centered on event detection, urgency determination, and urgency-based multi-sensory alarm generation and modification, with alarm split between a communication device and an alert button and at least a brightness modification of a specific lighting pattern.
Urgency-based multi-sensory alarm with split between communication device and alert button
A wearable cardioverter defibrillator (WCD) including a support structure configured to be worn by a patient, comprising at least one communication device configured to output a first part of a multi-sensory alarm including a specific lighting pattern determined by an event displayed on the at least one communication device and/or an alert button; the alert button configured to output a second part of the multi-sensory alarm and to detect patient input; and a processor configured to detect the event, generate the multi-sensory alarm based at least in part on the detected event, in response cause the multi-sensory alarm to be output by the at least one communication device and by the alert button, determine an urgency of the detected event, and modify the multi-sensory alarm based on the urgency wherein modifying includes at least modifying a brightness of the specific lighting pattern.
Harmonic urgency-based multi-sensory alarm output by communication device and alert button
A wearable cardioverter defibrillator (WCD) system including a support structure configured to be worn by a patient comprising a defibrillator housing; at least one communication device configured to output a first part of a multi-sensory alarm; an alert button coupled to the support structure configured to output a second part of the multi-sensory alarm and to detect a patient input, the multi-sensory alarm including at least a lighting pattern determined by an event displayed on the at least one communication device and/or the alert button; and a processor configured to detect the event, generate the multi-sensory alarm based at least in part on the detected event, in response cause the multi-sensory alarm to be output by the at least one communication device and by the alert button in a harmonic manner, determine an urgency of the detected event, and modify the first part or the second part of the multi-sensory alarm based on the urgency wherein modifying includes at least modifying a brightness of the lighting pattern.
Shock criteria delivery combined with urgency-based split multi-sensory alarm with brightness control
A wearable cardioverter defibrillator (WCD) system including a support structure configured to be worn by a patient comprising one or more electrodes for delivering a charge to the patient while the patient is wearing the support structure; a discharge circuit coupled to the one or more electrodes configured to store an electrical charge; a communication device configured to output a first part of a multi-sensory alarm including at least a specific lighting pattern determined by an event displayed on the at least one communication device and/or an alert button; the alert button in communication with the processor comprising a second part of the multi-sensory alarm; and the processor configured to cause the discharge circuit to discharge the stored electrical charge through the one or more electrodes in response to one or more shock criteria being met; detect the event, generate the multi-sensory alarm based at least in part on the detected event, in response cause the first part of the multi-sensory alarm and the second part of the multi-sensory alarm to be output by the communication device and by the alert button, determine an urgency of the detected event, and modify the multi-sensory alarm based on the urgency wherein modifying includes at least modifying a brightness of the specific lighting pattern.
Across the independent claims, the inventive coverage centers on detecting an event at a WCD, determining urgency, and generating and modifying a split multi-sensory alarm output between a communication device and an alert button, with at least modifying brightness of a specific lighting pattern based on event urgency; in at least one independent claim the output is in a harmonic manner, and in at least one independent claim the alarm generation is combined with charge discharge through electrodes in response to shock criteria.
Stated Advantages
Modifies the multi-sensory alarm based on an urgency of the detected event, including modifying a brightness of a specific lighting pattern.
Documented Applications
Use of a wearable cardioverter defibrillator (WCD) in contexts involving a sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) risk and the need for commanding/severity-adaptive alarms.
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